A hybrid vehicle having both a motor and an engine is powered only by a motor when the vehicle is under a small load. When the load increases, the hybrid vehicle starts the engine to provide additional driving force. When the hybrid vehicle shifts from running only with a motor to using the engine as well, it is necessary to rapidly start the engine. If it takes a long time to start the engine, the driving force cannot be smoothly controlled, which deteriorates vehicle performance.
Therefore, the time required to start the engine may be reduced by controlling the action timing of the induction system at the time the engine starts. However, when the engine start time is shortened as described above, the engine torque is applied immediately after the complete combustion of the engine start, which results in an engine start shock. The driver tends to feel the engine start shock, particularly when the vehicle is accelerated slowly.